Charity Race Benefits Food Bank With Goods And Cash

Tanner Hodges (front) and Jonathon Waddington get off to a terrific start at the Payson High National Honor Society Community Charity Race, which helped local food bank coffers add 201 pounds of food and $60. The event was conducted Saturday, Jan. 30 and drew 44 runners. Hodges won the race and Jacquelyn Oesterblad was the first female finisher.

Thanks to the proceeds from the inaugural Payson High National Honor Society Community Charity Race, local food bank coffers added 201 pounds of food and $60.

The event, which was held Jan. 30 on Payson streets, drew 44 runners, who legged their way around the 5K course after paying an admission fee of a can of non-perishable food or a monetary donation.

Tanner Hodges won the race, posting an ET of 20:39. Jacquelyn Oesterblad was the first female finisher in 24:40. Both are PHS student-athletes.

PHS Honor Society member Lucy Schouten said staging the event, “required the work of about 20 people, including NHS members, NHS sponsor Ian Harvey and several community members.”

Among the participants was Payson Roundup beat reporter Alexis Bechman who admits she’s a non-athlete, but finished second among the female participants.

“That was the first time I’ve competed in anything like that since elementary school,” she said. “But I’m a little sore today.”

The top five finishers among both the men and women received souvenir T-shirts.